With production starting this week, VF Corporation and Dickies expect to produce and deliver 50 000 gowns in May and create the production capacity to make up to 675 000 gowns by June and as many as 3.4 million by September. Isolation gown production adds to VF’s COVID-19 relief efforts, including a 1.5 million US dollars donation to local communities from The VF Foundation, product donations by other brands in the VF family, and a donation of Dickies-branded scrubs to impacted US hospitals in partnership with Careismetic Brands, the largest US supplier of scrubs.

“Dickies has stood alongside generations of workers, and in light of these unprecedented times, we’re joining in the effort to help healthcare professionals on the frontlines. As a heritage brand that goes to work, especially when the work gets tough, we are committed to equipping these workers with the critical medical garments they need to protect themselves as they continue the fight against this pandemic”, commented Denny Bruce, Dickies Global Brand President.

The isolation gowns will be made with fabric sourced from industry partner Milliken & Company, in accordance with guidelines issued by the FDA - Food and Drug Administration. To ensure the health and safety of workers involved in the production of these gowns the company will ensure that necessary educational, screening, and social distancing protocols will be strictly enforced in route and within the facility.

Image credits: Piron Guillaume on Unsplash